


False Positive

by Samirant



Series: nothing stronger than a heart [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: M/M, Prequel, blame slips as always
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:52:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22325884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samirant/pseuds/Samirant
Summary: No one had ever said it to Brienne. They’d never needed to.
Relationships: Renly Baratheon/Loras Tyrell
Series: nothing stronger than a heart [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607014
Comments: 20
Kudos: 76





	False Positive

**Author's Note:**

> Prequel to Freely Given. As always, slipsthrufingers should bear the blame. Less than three, my dear.

“You know, they’re going to have to do a blood test to confirm it anyway, I would have done it weeks ago if I’d been in town,” Brienne called out. Her voice wasn’t nearly as shaky as her hands. She pulled the pregnancy test out of the brown paper bag that Loras had shoved into her grip and scraped her fingernails under the edge to open it. “And I’m late. You know I’m never late.”

“Just do it, will you, Brienne?” Renly asked through the bathroom door. “Humor us. Like I used to humor you whenever you assumed I kept track of your period.”

“You certainly care now.”

“I have a vested interest at this point, now don’t I?”

Brienne huffed out a breath and opened the inner package noisily, then tossed the box at the door, though she knew Renly was unlikely to hear the impact of it. She said nothing else as she posed over the toilet and tried not to think of how utterly ridiculous it must look, her peeing on a stick, to see if she was pregnant, for her best friend. Her best friend and his husband. 

She tried to hold on to the irritation, her practiced distance when she recapped the stick and set it on the bathroom counter. But it came to mind, even as she washed her hands, the times she’d witnessed girls in their old dorm, banding together when someone had a scare. The way they’d whispered to each other, “It’s going to be okay. I promise.” No one had ever said it to Brienne. They’d never needed to. 

Then there were the ones who took it all in stride, carelessly passing on a surplus box to a roommate who was a day or two late and needed reassurance in order to clear their mind of worry. Nobody had ever needed to do that for her either, what with her stringent adherence to at least two forms of birth control with Hyle, as much as he’d been frustrated by it. But to even consider the possibility of having children with him had been nerve-wracking. 

Perhaps that, even more than Renly’s disdain for him, should have been warning enough to Brienne that nothing good would come of that relationship.

“Are you done?” It was Loras’ eager voice this time and Brienne sighed quietly. Out loud she replied, “Give it a minute.”

A minute might be enough, a small empty space of time that she could allow herself to pretend. To pretend that it wasn’t Renly - who she loved dearly - and Loras - who she had come to appreciate with time - that were on the other side of the door, but someone who was there solely for her. Who was excited because they’d possibly made something together. 

Brienne shut the toilet lid and sat on it with a thump and pretended, for just a little longer, that on the other side of the door was someone who wanted to do this _with_ her. She tried to forget, for an infinitesimal moment, Renly and Loras’ devastated faces when it went wrong before. 

But once she thought of that, it was impossible to forget any longer. She forced herself to stand, shaking her head to clear away the lofty dreams that she usually never dared indulge. Picking up the tester, Brienne heaved a deep breath, nodded to herself and opened the door. 

“You ready?”

“So ready,” Renly said eagerly. Loras nodded frantically beside him. 

“Remember, we can try again if we have to. I’m willing to do that,” Brienne said reassuringly. Was she stalling? She might be stalling.

“Brienne, I love you, but if you do not show us the results immediately, I will disown you,” Renly said in a rush. 

“Promises, promises,” Brienne replied with a small smile.

Loras was nearly vibrating in his effort to not pounce on her. Because of this, Brienne handed him the stick, Loras only giving her a quick, hopeful glance before flipping it over, reading it and letting out a loud, bright laugh.

“Yeah?” Renly asked faintly. His husband’s replying grin was almost blinding and Renly let out a long breath. “You’re sure?”

“Baby, you knocked her up. Well, we did. We knocked her up real good.” Loras showed them both the _pregnant!_ result and laughed again. Despite the fact that she’d felt certain for weeks that it was the case, Brienne gasped with realization. She was _pregnant._

Renly gave Brienne a sharp, desperate look. She could see where he vacillated between going to his husband or her, so she reached forward and pushed him toward Loras, who he embraced so suddenly and fiercely that Loras dropped the tester. They swayed back and forth, quietly murmuring to each other and and Brienne pretended not to hear the tears in their voices or Renly’s hitching breaths.

She sat down on the corner of her hotel bed, where Salmon hopped up next to her and provided fuzzy company as her two friends gathered themselves. Loras was the first to recover, pronouncing that he had to make so many calls to spread the good news and, in a more subdued tone, mused aloud that perhaps it was best he tell Margaery in person. He made it as far as the door and then raced back to throw his arms around Brienne where she sat, the placement his mouth against her shoulder making his words a mumbled mess, but she knew what he was trying to say. Brienne patted lightly on his back, too bewildered to think of a reply straight away, but then Loras was racing for the door again. At his departure, Renly sat next to her, pulling a displaced, grumpy Salmon onto his lap when he did so.

“This is it,” he finally said, stroking along Salmon’s back in apology for moving him. Salmon accepted it by nuzzling in and presenting his chin for scratches. 

“Yeah,” Brienne said wonderingly. Two months, almost to the day, since they’d gone to the clinic in one big, hopeful, terrified trio. 

Renly had to be thinking of that, because he said, “Eight weeks, that’s…”

Brienne sighed when he trailed off. “I know.”

“Gods, I need a drink.” Renly threw back his head. “Is this real? Is it really real?”

She nudged the tester with her foot and gave him a small smile. “Looks like.”

Brienne leaned forward to pick it up, setting it off to one side before looking at Renly straight on. The hope and fear and excitement in his eyes - in all the good and bad, she knew she’d made the right choice. She’d known it before, but it settled deep in her chest, not far from where her best friend’s child was growing within her. 

_Pregnant_. Brienne nearly listed back in amazement, but beside her Renly stiffened slightly. 

“I know that you said that you’d try again, but...” Renly breathed in deeply, letting it out with a little _hoo_ sound. “Brienne, this is it. I can’t let you do this again if it doesn’t, not anybody, but especially not you.”

Her smile disappeared at Renly’s serious expression. It was so at odds with his usual smiles and sarcasm; Brienne missed it, as much as she was often the unwitting recipient of said teasing. “I’m willing-”

“I’m not.”

“Renly.”

“I don’t think I can do this again, if we… if you…” Renly wiped at his eyes. “I’m glad, I’m so glad that we’ve made it this far. But I won’t risk you if it doesn’t work. Loras and I, we’ll figure something out, we’ll pursue other things, maybe try adopting from Essos. Or maybe we’ll just accept that we’re not meant to be dads.”

“Stop thinking that way,” Brienne urged him, “you’re borrowing trouble. We’re here now and you’re going to have a baby. You’re going to be dads. You’re going to be _great_ dads. I’ll make sure of it.”

“You’ll keep us in line, is that what you’re saying?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying.” Brienne pulled him close so that he could put his head on her shoulder and she dropped her chin on his hair. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”


End file.
